Summary: Research presented at the 124th ARRS Annual Meeting found that women and underrepresented minorities face a consistently higher risk of not matching into diagnostic radiology programs compared to men and their White counterparts, despite the disparities gradually decreasing over time.

Key Takeaways

  • Consistent Higher Risk: Women and underrepresented minorities consistently face a higher risk of not matching into diagnostic radiology programs compared to men and their White counterparts, with statistically significant disparities over multiple years.
  • Relative Risk Variability: The study found that the relative risk for not matching varied across different racial groups, with Black applicants having the highest relative risk (up to 1.49), followed by Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander applicants (up to 1.76), Hispanic applicants (up to 1.48), and Asian applicants (up to 1.31).
  • Gradual Improvement: While disparities persist, the research also indicates that these differences in matching rates across gender and racial groups have been gradually decreasing over time.

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Women and underrepresented minorities face a consistently higher risk of not matching into diagnostic radiology programs compared to men and their White counterparts, respectively, according to research presented at the 124th ARRS Annual Meeting.

Justin Hernandez, MD, a vascular and interventional radiologist at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California, says: “Our data indicate a statistically significant difference in the relative risk of not matching into diagnostic radiology residency across various races and sexes. However, these disparities appear to be gradually decreasing over time.”

Residency Demographic Data

Hernandez and his team collected demographic data on diagnostic radiology residents over the past seven years from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. They also analyzed four years of applicant data from the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), available on the American Association of Medical Colleges’ website, to compare the race and gender distribution in the applicant pool to resident enrollment. This allowed them to calculate the relative risk of not matching for women and racial minorities.

Disparities in Radiology Matching

Throughout the years examined, women consistently had a higher risk of not matching than men, with a relative risk ranging from 1.02 (2021–22) to 1.09 (2015–16), and statistically significant p-values for all years except 2021–22. Underrepresented minorities also showed a consistently higher relative risk of not matching than White individuals. Specifically, Black applicants had a relative risk ranging from 1.33 (2021–22) to 1.49 (2015–16). Hispanic applicants had a relative risk ranging from 1.19 (2021–22) to 1.48 (2015–16). Asian applicants had a relative risk ranging from 1.04 (2020–21) to 1.31 (2015–16). Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander applicants had a relative risk ranging from 1.67 (2015–16) to 1.76 (2021–22).

“All p-values were statistically significant, and the 95% confidence intervals for all relative risks did not overlap with 1.0, except for Asian applicants in 2020–21,” Hernandez concludes.